A Model Employer

This is an anecdote from casual conversation, and so has no specifics of name, place, date, etc.

I was talking to a guy I met while serving jury duty. We were hanging out in the hallway during a break, talking about anything except the case.

He said he was leaving at the end of the week to visit his company's manufacturing sites in China. Since I have an ongoing interest in China, I pricked up my ears and expressed interest. He said he was not looking forward to the trip; aside from the 24-hour commute, touring the plants was depressing.

On a previous trip, he visited a plant where there had been an outbreak of hepatitis. He had all the workers tested, and then consulted the local health officials.

"400 of my 1000 workers have hepatitis. What should I do?"

"Fire them," says the health department. "You don't want them making the rest of your workers sick, do you?"

The manager was shocked. Shouldn't the company provide treatment, sick leave, disability?

"You mustn't do that," says the health department. Such actions would set a precedent. The region would lose other foreign companies.

In the end, he arranged for the sick workers to get a $50 severance package and a bus-ride back to their homes in the countryside.

His company was written up for its exemplary treatment of its employees.